Yoni Finlay awoke before dawn with a feeling of nervous anticipation. It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and the 39-year-old was scheduled to sing the dawn prayer, Shacharis, before hundreds of congregants at Heaton Park synagogue in north Manchester.
After practising his verses, Finlay dressed in his white ceremonial robes and headed to the synagogue. He exchanged cheerful greetings with Bernard Agyemang, the security guard, before taking his place on the bimah, the central stage. The service began peacefully, enveloped in prayer and reflection.
The Attack Unfolds
Then came a loud bang. Alan Levy, the chair of the synagogue's trustees, rushed inside shouting, "Close the doors, close the doors!". Finlay hurried towards the entrance to investigate. Through the reinforced glass, he saw Agyemang's body crumpled on the ground. Turning, he saw volunteer security guard Andrew Franks, covered in blood.
The nightmare that many in Britain's Jewish community had long feared was unfolding in real time. They were under attack.
Finlay, a father of four, helped barricade the doors as the assailant tried to force his way inside. "He was pulling them as we were holding them, and they were buckling," he recalled. He saw the attacker's weapon – "I've never seen such a large blade on a knife" – and what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his waist. "He was shouting something to do with killing children."
In his first newspaper interview since the attack, Finlay told The Guardian he witnessed pure evil in the knifeman's eyes. "I've never felt this before, I've never experienced it, but there was evil. We were in the presence of evil. It was his whole demeanour. He was angry. Very, very angry. He just wanted to kill Jews, and he was prepared to die for that."
Unknown to those inside, the attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, a Syria-born Mancunian, had already called 999, accepting responsibility for his assault and pledging allegiance to Islamic State.
Aftermath and Community Anger
Armed police arrived within seven minutes and shot Shamie as he charged towards them. Incredibly, he regained his footing and lunged again, prompting officers to fire more shots, which proved fatal.
Behind the synagogue door, Finlay felt "a very hard punch to his chest" and collapsed. A police bullet had penetrated the left side of his chest and exited through his back. Behind him, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby was also struck. Daulby, described by his family as a quiet man and a "tremendously strong hero", was pronounced dead 40 minutes later. Another worshipper, 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, died in hospital from stab wounds. This marked the deadliest antisemitic attack in Britain in recent memory.
Seven weeks on, Finlay is physically recovering after a seven-hour operation and a two-week hospital stay. The psychological wounds, however, remain raw. "I've got what I've been told is survivors guilt," he confessed. "Whilst it was a miracle and I'm hugely grateful that I'm still here – I thank God every single day – but it doesn't take away from the lives that were lost. And that's very difficult."
The attack provoked fury across the Jewish community in Manchester and beyond. Many felt warning signs had been visible for two years. At a vigil the day after the attack, Justice Secretary David Lammy was heckled and booed, with ministers accused of having blood on their hands.
The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism, reported a sharp rise in incidents since Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel. A decade ago, 100 incidents a month was considered shocking. In the first half of 2025, the CST recorded more than 200 every month, rising to 300 a month in June, July, and August, according to Dave Rich, the CST's head of policy.
A Call for Real Change
Finlay argues that hostility towards British Jews for the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government, coupled with a perceived failure by UK ministers to address it robustly, has normalised antisemitism. "People don't wake up in a morning and think I'm going to kill Jews, I'm going to attack a shul. It doesn't just happen in a vacuum. It's the result of what happens in the weeks, months and years leading up to it," he said.
He pointed to the recent decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match in Birmingham as an example of surrendering to antisemitism. "How can it be that British citizens, or citizens of another country, Jewish people, can't go to a certain area in England? We're in 2025. How's that been allowed to happen again?"
Finlay, a Manchester United-supporting utility manager and volunteer for a charity supporting Jewish people with disabilities, stressed he is not a politician. He does not blame the armed officer whose bullet struck him, believing it also hit Daulby. "They were doing their jobs. Their actions that day saved lives," he stated.
Heaton Park synagogue received over 2,000 messages of support, many from non-Jewish and Muslim communities – the "silent majority" who abhor discrimination. For the government, Finlay warns that the solution isn't to further fortify Jewish communities behind walls. "We're not tackling the root cause of it," he said.
Finlay chose to speak out, believing this must be a turning point where compassion overcomes hatred. "I saw evil and that's something that in the moment was very powerful in the wrong way. But let's combat it. Let's bring light into the world. Love, care, good. That overcomes hate. Hope builds bridges, hate builds walls."
